Improvement in air-guns



B. T. BABBITT. Air-Gun.

No. 209,014. Patented Oct. 15,1878.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

BENJAMIN T. BABBITT, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN AIR-GUNS.

Specification forming part olLettcrs Patent N0. 209,014, dated Octoberl5, 1878; application filed .Tune 29, 1878.

To all whom 'it may concern;

Be it known that'I, BENJAMIN T. BABBITT, of the city, county, and Stateof New York, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements inAir-Guns and I do hereby declare `that the following is a full, clear,and exact description of the same, reference being' had to theaccompanying drawing, forming part of this specification. Y

This invention is more especially designed for ordnance or artiller f,but is applicable to guns of any size.

It consists in a novel system of duplicate compressed-air reservoirsarranged upon and secured to opposite sides of the barrel of the gun,and in a novel system of valves employed between said reservoirs and thechamber of the barrel to admit the compressed air behind the projectile.

It further consists in a swivel of novel construction, upon which thegun and its duplicate attached compressed-air reservoirs are supportedin such manner asto provide for varying the elevation of the gun and forturning it horizontally, and which also serves as a means ofcommunication to the said reservoirs from a stationary reservoir havinga iixed connection with an air-compressor.

Figure lis a central longitudinal vertical section of a breech-loadingair-gun with my improvements. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of thesame. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section on the line x as, shown inFig. l.

A is the gun-barrel, firmly secured into a breech-chamber, B, which isbored centrally right through in line with the bar "el, to provide forthe introduction through it into the barrel of the projectile G. F isthe breech, consisting of a cylindrical or conical plug, fitted to turnin a seat provided for it in the back part of the breech-chamber B byboring through the said chamber in a direction perpendicular to the boreof the barrel. AThe said plug has a hole, f, extending through ittransversely toits axis `for the passage of projectile C into thebarrel.

D D are the duplicate compressed-air reservoirs att-ached securely tothe barrel and breechchamber, one on each side thereof.

E E are two disk-valves, each arranged between the breech-chamber B andone of the two compressed-air reservoirs D D', and in front of thebreech F, for admitting air from both of the said reservoirs at thesaine time into the breech-chamber B in front of the breech. Thesevalves are fitted to seats provided for them in the sides ofthe interiorof the breech-chamber, and are connected together by means of wingsorbraces a. a in such manner that both may be turned together for thepurpose of opening and closing the communicationbetween the tworeservoirs and the breechchamber by means oi' a spindle, b, which passesthrough one of the breech chambers and through a stuffing-box, c, on theouter side of said chamber, and which is furnished with a handle, g,outside of said stuffing-box, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The valves bothhave similar ports c e, as shown in Fig. 1,whi'ch correspond with portsd l in their respective seats, so that both are opened by turning themto bring theln over ports opposite to the ports in their seats, andclosed by turning them to bring theirports opposite to solid or closedportions of the seats. The said valves are balanced against the pressureof the air in the reservoirs, the pressure on each being counterbalancedby the pressure on the other.

The two reservoirs may be rigidly secured to the barrel of the gun andto the breechchamber in any suitable manner. They are represented assecured at their front ends to the barrel by a band, g', and as securedto the breech-chamber by being partly iliade in the same casting orpiece therewith.

The swivel upon which the gun works and through which compressed air issupplied to the reservoirs D D consists of a double-elbowed pipe, Gr,connecting the two reservoirs 'at their bottoms, as shown in FiO. 3, andan upright pipe, H, at the upper end of which is a journal-box, h, forthe reception of a journal, fi, on the central portion of the said pipeG, and the lower end of which turns in a stuffingbox, I, provided in ahollow standard, J, upon which the gun and its attached reservoirs andswivel are supported. This hollow standard may be open at the bottom, asshown in Figs. l and 3, to receive at all times compressed air from alarge reservoir arran ged below the base or foundation K, upon which thestandard is supported. This base may be the deck of a vessel.

Instead of being open at the bottom, the hollow standard may have aclosed bottom, and may receive compressed air from an air reservoir orcompressor through a pipe, j, on one side. The journal i, turning in thebox h on the upright pipe H, provides for the adjustment of theelevation ofthe gun; and the upright pipe, turning in the stuffing-box Iof the hollow standard, provides for the horizontal movement of the gunto any extent. The compressed air, coming through the hollow standard J,passes through the upright pipe H into its journal-box h, and thencethrough an opening, i', in the joiunal '1I of the elbowed pipe G, andthence to the duplicate reservoirs D D', so that the said reservoirs canbe kept supplied with compressed air in every position of the gun.

To operate the gun, the valves E E are closed and the compressed-airreservoirs D D are charged to the requisite pressure either by theircommunication with the reservoir below or by air forced into themthrough the pipe j by the compressor.

rlhe valves are kept closed during the introduction of' the projectileinto the barrel, and until the projectile is to be discharged.

To provide for inserting the projectile, the breech F is turned to bringits opening f opposite the barrel, and the projectile is insertedthrough the breech and pushed through the breech-chamber beyond thevalves E E into the barrel, after which the breech is turned to a closedposition.

To discharge the projectile, the valves E E are opened, and thecompressed air rushes into the breech-chamber from thetlt11)licatereservoirs through both valves into the breechchamber and behind theprojectile, which is then discharged from the barrel by the pressureofthe air behind it.

The same system of duplicate reservoirs and balanced valves and the sameswivel may be used 011 a muzzle-loading gun.

ln order to increase the velocity, l propose to produce a vacuum in thebarrel in front ot' the projectile by putting an air-tight cap ot'india-rubber or other suitable material on the muzzle of the barrel andexhausting all the air from the barrel in front of the projectile bymeans of an air-pump. The projectile will therefore meet with noatmospheric resistance in its passage through the barrel, and when itreaches the cap it will pass through it or tear it ofi'.

l. The combination, with the barrel A and chamber B, of the attachedduplicate comp 1essed-air reservoirs D D on opposite sides t ereof, andthe connected and simultaneousl operated balanced valves E E', betweenthe said reservoirs and thesaid chamber, substantially as hereindescribed.

2. The combination, with the gun and its attached duplicatecompressed-air reservoirs D Dl and the stationary air-receiving standardJ, of the air-condnctin g swivel composed of the journaled double-elbowpipe G, the upright pipe H, with its attached journal-box fi., and thestuffing-box I, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

, D. T. BABBITT.

Vitnesses B. A. McDoNALn, EDWARD l". Maron

